Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 review: budget tablet for all

The Galaxy Tab S8 is the latest iteration and, with a price tag of $699 for the base model, it cannot compete with the affordability of the standard iPad.

New benchmarks for high-end Android tablets are established by the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8. This is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7’s replacement, which we dubbed the finest iPad Pro challenger and one of the best tablets overall in 2020. But that was two years ago, and since then, Apple’s incredible 2021 iPad Pros have completely changed our expectations for professional-grade tablets. The new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is a giant 14.6-inch Android tablet with a screen big enough to dwarf the iPad Pro.

Samsung has also improved its tablet lineup, introducing the Tab S8 alongside two larger, OLED-equipped models a marginally improved Tab S8 Plus and the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8. What then becomes of the Galaxy Tab S8? Its brilliant and responsive 11-inch LCD screen falls short of the stunning mini-LED display on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2021. Although it is no longer accurate to refer to the Tab S8 as a true iPad Pro rival, it is still a beautiful, powerful, and energy-efficient slate that doesn’t overpower Android 12 with Samsung technology.

Design

The Galaxy Tab S8 is virtually indistinguishable from its predecessor. And while you’d like to see the design evolve, it’s hard to get too excited in this case, as the slim metal slider looks just as premium as its Apple counterparts with vanishingly small bezels. Weighing in at 1.1 pounds and measuring 10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches, the Galaxy Tab S8 strikes an excellent balance between portability and utility with its large but handy 11-inch display.  The Tab S8 Ultra and its 14.6-inch display are intriguing, but you definitely won’t be taking it everywhere. The iPad Air 2022 measures 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches and weighs 1.02 pounds, so you’ll hardly notice a difference when you want to pack either device in your bag.

With the exception of the slightly raised pill-shaped camera panel on the back, the tablet is uniformly thick, making it comfortable to hold in any orientation. Attached to the camera is a mirrored plastic strip that runs almost the entire length of the tablet and magnetically holds and charges the S Pen. You won’t want to rely on it when you throw the tablet in your pocket, but it’s a handy place to keep it when you’re switching between writing and typing or using an app.

Display

Like its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S8 features an 11-inch WQXGA LED display (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. Like its predecessor, the screen looks bright and colorful and offers a pleasant and smooth scrolling experience thanks to the adaptive refresh rate (which dynamically adjusts the refresh rate up to the maximum 120 Hz refresh rate instead of staying at 60 Hz), although you can set the refresh rate to 60 Hz in the tablet’s display settings to reduce battery consumption.

While watching TV and playing games on the Tab S8, we found the display to be colorful and quite impressive at maximum brightness, which was confirmed when we brought the tablet into our test lab. We took measurements and found that the Tab S8’s display is capable of a peak brightness of 480 nits in the center, with an average brightness of 463 nits across the entire screen.

Audio

There are a total of four Dolby Atmos speakers on the Galaxy Tab S8 5G’s two narrow sides that can reproduce up to a loud 89.4 dB(A) and produce a powerful sound with very balanced mids and trebles. The bass is somewhat lacking, but it is still much more pronounced in the sound mix than in many other tablets. Since the Galaxy Tab S8 5G lacks a 3.5 mm jack, wired audio devices like headsets have to be connected via a USB-C adapter, which Samsung does not include with the tablet. The Bluetooth audio codecs AAC, aptX, LDAC and SBC are available for audio output via Bluetooth 5.2, which is a somewhat sparse selection.

Performance

With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and 8 GB of RAM, the Tab S8 Plus is capable of running and managing any app put in front of it. In my week-long tests, the tablet was more than capable of acting as a media player (YouTube, Netflix, Spotify), a second monitor (Calendar, Google Drive, Outlook) and a computer on the go (Slack, Zoom, Google Maps) in the background. Only the Tab S8 Ultra has configurations with 12/16 GB of RAM, but the Plus’s 8 GB is more than enough.

The AKG-tuned speakers on the Tab S8 Plus are very loud and surprisingly crisp. Whether watching the NBA finals or the latest episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the audio was full and vibrant. In fact, the placement of the side speakers is easily obscured when holding the tablet. Otherwise, the audio system did not make me regret the headphone jack.

Samsung DeX is what we used most often when working on the Tab S8 Plus. DeX, which stands for Desktop Experience, transforms the tablet’s user interface into a desktop-like layout, as opposed to the standard Android home screen with apps and widgets. The change goes beyond the home screen, as apps can be opened in special windows for multitasking and navigation. If you then resize, you get a tablet that can run up to five apps at a time.

Battery Life

The battery life of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8 is excellent. It lasted 12 hours and 53 minutes in our battery test, which included continuous web browsing via WLAN at a brightness of 150 cd/m². That is exactly what you would want from a tablet all-day battery life for even the most intensive tablet users and enough to last several days of lower usage. This battery test was performed with the display in the default adaptive setting of 120 Hz.

However, it is a testament to Samsung’s solid adaptive software that switching to 60 Hz only resulted in a runtime of 12 hours and 59 minutes. This is significantly better than the iPad Air 2022, which managed a decent 10 hours and 9 minutes in the same test. It’s interesting to see this complete reversal compared to what we see with the Galaxy phones versus the iPhones in our test for the best battery life phones.

Camera

The cameras of the Tab S8 cannot keep up with those of the Galaxy S22, but they are more than equal to the tablet competition. Starting with the 12 MP ultra-wide-angle camera on the front, which is complemented by a 13 MP wide-angle and a 6 MP ultra-wide-angle camera on the back. Even though it seems strange to take selfies with the tablet, the camera does a solid job. The image is sharp and clear, with a software feature similar to Center Stage on the iPad that tries to keep you in the frame when you move around during a call.

The rear cameras don’t have the quality of a flagship phone, but they’re fine for typical tablet tasks like capturing a whiteboard or scanning a document, and they deliver excellent detail. If you insist on using your tablet as a camera, the main problem compared to a modern flagship phone is poor lighting since Samsung does not use top-notch sensors.

Final Words

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is an excellent Android tablet. It is fast, durable, looks good, and feels good in the hand. The camera is good enough to enjoy photos and video calls on the tablet, and the built-in S Pen is a nice touch that works well. Still, the Galaxy Tab S8 can’t match the performance or display quality of most modern iPads, although with Samsung’s DeX mode enabled, the Galaxy Tab S8 is a more viable laptop alternative than almost any iPad. Even at the low starting price of $838 with keyboard, you can get a more powerful Windows laptop like the Asus Zenbook 13 OLED.

The Galaxy Tab S8 is good in many areas, but it’s best as a new Android tablet. You can use it for work as well, but in my experience it’s best as a fast all-purpose device that makes work and play a little more fun. On the couch, it’s great for gaming or reading comics, and at work, it’s a nice device for taking notes or as a second display, especially if you make the effort to invest in the Galaxy ecosystem and make your workspace DeX-friendly.

George Southwell
George Southwell
George Southwell is a seasoned content editor at Bollyinside, renowned for his expertise in simplifying complex tech topics. Specializing in "Tips and Tricks" articles, he excels in breaking down iPhone, Android, hardware, and software insights. George's insatiable curiosity fuels his hobby of testing the latest tech updates, keeping him on the cutting edge.

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The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is an excellent Android tablet. It is fast, durable, looks good and feels good in the hand. The camera is good enough to take photos and make video calls on the tablet, and the built-in S Pen is a nice touch that works well.Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 review: budget tablet for all